trying to start a rescue..tips, advice, etc...plz
Okay, so I want to start a chicken rescue. Been thinking about this for a while and Im ready to proceed. However, I dont know where toget the rescued chickens from. I'd like to eventually have chickens from factory farms but still trying to figure out the best way to get them. (ie if I buy a bunch of chickens from the farm I will be supporting the industry and they will turn right back around and buy more chickens to take the place of the birds I purchased.) So, I looked on petfindder.com this past weekend. For those of you who do not know, that is a database for tons of animal shelters accross the country. I saw there are a TON of chickens at a humane socity near L.A. So i called today to ask about it and told them that I wanted to start a rescue. The first lady wasnt taking me seriously at all but I kept insisting that I was serious. So tehn she tried to snowball me with a bunch of regulations, steps to take and peoepl to talk to. Of course I was not dettered. So she finally let me talk to another woman who was quite helpful. She said I need to get a 501 (c) (3) and then to register as a rescue so I could get the birds. She said that even though Im allowed to have up to 24 chickens (females) on my property I would be a buisness (becasue Id be charging for the animals, she ASSUMED), so the rules would change accordingly. She said that it was also how people would make donations. And once I was a nonprofit, then the 5 dollar adoption fee would likly be weived for me.
Well for starters, i dont plan to charge an adoption fee for the chickens. Instead, people will be allowed to adopt teh birds after competing certain classes (have not worked out the details on this one yet but it would be about chicken husbandry and would hopefully be donated by aggricultural ingeers, vets, adn 4-h leaders...other suggestions are welcomed) They would also be required to help "pay it forward" in some way, such as helping teh next person build their chicken coop (which tehy also recieved help to build.) The idea here is to reduce reliance on factory farming. I wish I could get everyone to give up eggs but I guess Im willing to start small, with steps peopel will take.
Also, I really dont know who would donate $ for a chicken rescue, everyone I tell about it laughs at me (even my own family) So maybe being a non-profit for the donations is pointless anyways...But then there is the issue of supporting it. Im not sure how that will happen.
DaveDrum, how do you get the money for your rescue? are you a not-for-profit or does it come out of your own pocket? I really dont have the means for doing this large scale, but what Im AM thinking about doing is going out to LA (I live in Tucson) and adopting 8 birds with my own money. I will keep 4 and I have another home that wants four (actually it a group home for disbled seniors where I work and they would LOVE to have chickens. I already got the OK from my boss, but they can't afford to pay for the birds...) Im just really worried about all teh dozens of birds they have in will be euthanized if some of them are not adopted out soon. I feel sad that i cant adopt roosters, but they are not allowed in the city. Which, in away is good casue then peoplel can not breed their hens and make more chikcs...
Im also a little worried that I would go to all the hastle of becoming a not-for-profit and then not be able to find more homes for the birds, thus stopping the project in its tracts...Eh, I jsut dont know what to do...thoughts, suggestions?
DaveDrum, how do you get the money for your rescue? are you a not-for-profit or does it come out of your own pocket? I really dont have the means for doing this large scale, but what Im AM thinking about doing is going out to LA (I live in Tucson) and adopting 8 birds with my own money. I will keep 4 and I have another home that wants four (actually it a group home for disbled seniors where I work and they would LOVE to have chickens. I already got the OK from my boss, but they can't afford to pay for the birds...) Im just really worried about all teh dozens of birds they have in will be euthanized if some of them are not adopted out soon. I feel sad that i cant adopt roosters, but they are not allowed in the city. Which, in away is good casue then peoplel can not breed their hens and make more chikcs...
Im also a little worried that I would go to all the hastle of becoming a not-for-profit and then not be able to find more homes for the birds, thus stopping the project in its tracts...Eh, I jsut dont know what to do...thoughts, suggestions?
Hey VegHeadZealia,
First, to answer your question about me and what I do. I do not have a 501c. I'm not really a rescue group. I do what I do on my own and will not accept money or donations for what I do. I buy all of the food, and pay for all of the vet visits out of my own pocket. I pay to spay and neuter them on my own. I do use rescue groups to help me find homes for the dogs, or I get help from my holistic vet finding homes as well. If they can help me find a great home, then they get the adoption fee...whatever they normally charge. Other adoptions I do on my own if I can. Even when I do an adoption on my own, I have someone make out a check to another rescue group, or charity like Farm Sanctuary. I don't do it for any other reason then wanting to help the homeless pets become....not homeless!...for the animals to find and learn that there are people who are nice, people that are good, and that hands can be for petting and rubbing instead of hitting and throwing things at them. That a mouth can be for a soft kiss on the top of a furry head as opposed to just for yelling "get out of here"....
I understand that not everyone is in the same position as me, to do what I do. Financially, or even space wise. There are too many people that get into rescue and are just not physically set up for it. Be it a big fenced in area area for them to play, or an inside area for them to live, eat, and sleep. Or to be quarantined if need be. Lot's of things have to be considered before you just take in animals. I do travel quite a bit, but I am so very lucky to have my vet's assistant that house/pet sits for me, and if not for her, there are times I would not be able to do it. As i am planning for my next move, that is a very very big concern for me. It has to be for you as well, if you plan on any moves, what happens to the animals in your care.For me, it's a life long commitment. If I did not have someone to watch my dogs/pets....and I had to go on tour with someone...well....guess I'm staying home. So far I've been lucky...very!
The 501c is mostly required if you plan on doing adoptions and charging a fee. It is also so important if you plan on taking donations...of ANY kind. Be it, food, medicine, or money. Those that contribute want and need the tax write off when they donate to a rescue group. The 501c gives you that. You would be a tax exempt charity. You are also subject to audits and inspections by the Department of Agriculture if you are a 501c doing animal rescue (which is a good thing....there are those that "retail" mutts for profit....not much better then a puppy mill).
As far as chickens go...I really know nothing about them. If majicka is around online and reads this I hope she can give you advice on them. Feeding, housing, and caring for them. I hope this helps...if you have any questions...ask!
-dave
You might want to contact Farm Sanctuary, West in Orland, California. Visiting them would be even better!
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/visit/california.htm
The book "Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating" (which you can download from vegan.com) has a story on p. 101 about the rescue of a chicken they named "Lily". If you are a militant, brave and daring person you could rescue like they did.
As a chickener, while I think your cause is noble....I have to ask you things...because when I first got into raising chickens as a hobby I had NO IDEA the things I would face..I figured coop, water, feed, run, outdoors..great....uh nope....it's been quite an adventure over the past 3 years..I tell you what, I love my chickens to death but raising dogs/cats is SOOOO much easier in soooo many ways... do you KNOW anything about raising chickens at all before your deciding to rescue them?
Are you aware of the health problems they have (i.e. bumblefoot, mareks, coccidia, lice, fowl cholera,giardia, bronchitis, lice/flea infestations, etc?) and which antibiotics/homeopathic treatments can cure what?. I live IN the country..It took me 1/2 a day to find a farm vet who would treat a chicken, the one who finally came out rarely if ever treated chickens, in her 30 years practicing she only treated 4 chickens.
You are aware that ROOSTERS usually CANNOT be housed together, they will fight..and it never stops. My 2 boys are brothers , raised together and everything...when they hit 1 1/2 years old they started fighting, we had to build a 2nd coop/run.
This also goes for some Hens..I have seen Hens gang up and beat up smaller, different colored, etc etc etc etc other hens, and they can be just as ruthless as Roosters..they WILL kill each other.
Do you have enough room to build seperate coops/runs for seperation purposes and quarantine? You should ALWAYS quarantine new flock members for at least 30 days before introducing to the flock, just to be sure she/he isn't carrying any diseases. I use plastic dog airline crates when I have to seperate. I also have the luxury of a nice unfinsihed basement that I can allow the ill animal to heal.
You also need to understand that just about EVERYTHING preys on chickens...cats, dogs, wild animals ETC. and if you allow them to free range there is a chance that they will fall victim to a predator..I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of a neighbor's dog getting lose and killing an entire flock.. We've been lucky that we only lost 1 when they were 5 months old to a hawk.
That's just the tip of the iceberg...there's so much more that goes into it... Just giving you some things to think about before you go ahead with you plan.